Evergrey reach fifteen years as a band, although only Tom S Englund remains as the sole original member and in 2010 all but Englund and keyboard player Rikard Zander quit the band.
They released a new album ‘Glorious Collusion’ earlier this year (three songs from the album make it onto this 24 song compilation) and songs form that album feature as the two previously unreleased songs ‘Wrong’ and ‘Frozen’ – both live unplugged versions and sounding as though the drummer was using upturned biscuit tins on ‘Frozen’! I am not sure these two songs alone would entice existing fans of the band to but this CD but for those new to the band this is the perfect starting point. The band have a prog meets gothic metal sound and songs like ‘Recreation Day’ and ‘A Touch Of Blessing’ (the guitar solo is one of the finest the band have done) demand to be heard combining sharp riffs and the unmistakable voice of Tom S Englund.
The good thing about Evergrey’s music is that they can be ruffing metal one minute before dropping the tone and bringing the piano/keys to the fore for a ballad, albeit with through provoking lyrics, like on ‘Waking Up Blind’.
This should hopefully propel the band further onwards and upwards as they have never quite got the recognition they deserve to date. Seeing as this is being sold at a single CD price point you have no excuse now to discover the wondrous music of Evergrey.
****1/2
Jason Ritchie
Many people ask why a record company must release a retrospective of a band. It must be a money-making scam, surely? I can tell you that releases like this are necessary for fans that aren’t exposed to these bands on a regular basis. I’ve heard plenty of people sing Evergrey’s praises, but I never have had the chance to hear them…until now.
For those of you that know the band, you can skip to the next review. For those of you who don’t and are metal fans, then here’s the reason you need to buy this. Evergrey is not just a power metal band. This retrospective proves that, while they put the pedal to the metal, there’s a softer, tender side to them too, with some power ballads and acoustic songs that are out of this world. A couple of live tracks thrown in the mix also indicate that they can carry it over to the stage.
This compilation is 22 tracks strong and worth obtaining if you don’t know the band. You will delve into their back catalogue, but you’ll be thanking this retrospective for it.
****1/2
Nick van der Meulen
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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
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